Lambert's Revenge
Lambert's Revenge on the Wicked Tancred is an epic poem by the Brunanter soldier William Blayne. It is widely considered to be one of the most famous Brunanter works of literature, alongside Adenis and Virsise. Writing and publication William Blayne (1791-1814) began writing this poem in 1813, while serving with the Royal Guard in continental Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Writing intermittently, he was able to complete it in early 1814, a few weeks before being killed in battle. An Italo-Brunanter friend of Blayne, Colonel Alexander Giori, brought the work with him back to Brunant and had it published with Leamington's. Giori, however, fixed up a few pages to remove "scandalous and ghastly items" looked down upon by society at the time. In 1937, some previously unknown and unpublished original pages were discovered at a library in Carrington, which have since been published in an addendum. Plot The poem is about the story of the woodsman Lambert. Lambert's father was imprisoned at the Brezonde Castle, his three brothers were killed and his mother was dishonored and killed by their Venetian overlord, Tancred. His family had been heavy opponents of the Venetian rule and all suffered at the hands of the authorities for this. Set during the War of Independence in 1427-28, it follows Lambert's quest to bring justice to his family. Being the only one to escape a certain death, he vowed to personally exact his revenge by killing "wicked Tancred". The poem makes references to the independence hero Mateus Brasefort and the garrotte, a form of execution where a tightened iron collar is used to strangle the person. "A chiliad's worth" means one thousand years. The poem Amidst a chiliad's worth we start this tale A land so small Was called meal-sized for the mighty whale This place, Brunant Found in the Mediterranean's heart We'll now go to Since our story's soon to start T'was nearly five and eighty years ago Since thirteen fifty-three The heavy rule they only came to know Of great Venise Among such years of brutal tyranny The griped mass Rose up to rid their land's hegemony Brunant was quickly swallowed up in war As Venice tried To quickly put an end to this uproar That quickly saw Brave men take arms with very much to boast Like Brases-fort But like our hero none came very close Lambert was his name, so plain yet good A farmer's son Right now a woodsman with a tempered mood For now Venise Has taken all he hold so very dear And that Is how he joins our story here The young Lambert lived on an aging stead with his mother And his old man, who's forced to lay in bed With this malaise The three good sons of John now worked the land Their toils Enough to feed the poor which nearby liv'd The sons of John, his wife, his family While simply plain Were kind and good, yet not at all greedy And really wished To free their lands of every terror there And actively Then joined the cause of war, with no fanfare The father, John, as head of this household Was summoned up To Barzone's mighty citadel, so cold On orders From Brunant's sin'ster overlord, Tancred Who said Behind the bars you'll stay, and he was lead With father John now locked up tight His boldest sons Now bore the brunt of fighting all this might But one by one Were captured live by Tancred, overlord Who set about To garrote one by one when he was bored To Lambert's door their master one day came With all intent To use his mother for a ruthless game He went right in And wicked Tancred's moves brought her disgrace She moved to flee But she was caught and drowned, for he had pace Though tempered rather fairly, Lambert was He chose To bring his fam'ly honour, as his cause And while From five now only he came to survive And set about For Tancred's lair to end his years alive To old Barzone he went atop his steed But at the gates Went cold on thinking of this mighty deed He swallowed fear And marched on through, right past the sounding bell To the castle To him 'twas was like the gates of fiery hell He went to ask an audience to the guard But was denied it Disheartened but not dazed he struck him hard And their sword clashed But Lambert gave the guard some bleeding skin And dashing in He fought a dozen arms but could not win On Tancred's final word he'd be locked up And then The next day he would face a harsh shakeup But while Lambert Was marched off by his weakly guards away He lunged And took their swords and quickly got away For near a dozen months our hero searched Across Brunant To find a wicked man known just as Tancred And so 'Gainst every odd extant he found success T'was Lambert's Revenge Category:Literature